Robbie

I've been around the block a few times with girls now in a no strings attached way. I reckon this is worth more. I reckon what I want is to do things to make our bond stronger and feel fully comfortable in each others company. So I'd say the end goal would be ending up together. Very true mate, my only problem at the moment is that I'm practically skint for another week. We've already said we'll go out and celebrate my Masters. I'll ask her out for lunch for Monday I reckon, I normally rake it the tips on weekends. The big date will be the 25th August. We both entered a competition to win tickets to see Ed Sheeran live on that day and had to put someone down. She put her sister because she's a super fan. I put her because she's also a massive fan of him and I know going would mean a lot to her. I reckon tomorrow's a shout, I'll give it a shot mate!

I'm sure some of you will recall my ordeal with the 'hot and cold' girl a couple of weeks ago. Well, the situation's gotten interesting. One of the regulars where I work cottoned on that something was going on between myself and said girl, who I'll call C. He asked me if anything was going on and I said 'no comment'. He then started making a joke of it and others joined in. This was last Thursday. Friday was a run-of-the-mill day with not much happening, but on Saturday the other people I work with started pointing things out to me. As small as they sound, that she'd started talking about me a lot, wearing make-up when she knows I'm going to be around her, touching her hair a lot, and making a fair effort to touch and brush past me. I didn't notice it so much on Saturday, but when I was getting teased I left work and C messaged me to come back and see her. She kept making eye contact with me for the rest of the day and lightly flirting. Someone had said something to her about it. Myself and C worked together on Sunday. She started later that I did but it started fast and without anyone saying things. Constantly talking, coming very close to me and dare I say provocatively so at times, and getting embarrassed whenever someone mentioned my name or made a comment about the two of us. Once I'd finished my shift, I sat down and typed out a bit of my dissertation with my headphones on. I could still hear the comments and people asking C what was going on between us. When I did eventually stop my work and go up to the bar, the same regular from Thursday started asking her questions to which we both started blushing. I left it for a while, but when she dropped me off around midnight time we spoke about what had been going on. She said that it must have started from somewhere, to which I responded that I'd spoken in private about liking her. It was dark but I saw her go bright red and smile. I saw C on Tuesday, we had some drinks and had a laugh but ultimately got taken out of any flirtatious mood by another girl who works with us. This other girl is an interfering cow, to put it bluntly, and she's told me before one-on-one that any relationship between myself and C would make her shifts 'more awkward'. So she took every effort to 'cock-block' me when I was in my feelings. I knew that C was working on Wednesday, so went up to where we work. I was playing pool and putting music on the jukebox with a couple of older guys who frequent the bar. They started teasing me and making comments, and the same with her to an extent. C was joining in with the comments, being light-hearted with it all but flirtatious at the same time. People started asking her what's going on and she's been getting shy about it, and she kept strongly implying that there is something going on beyond what was being said. We've been flirting a little bit tonight, and I noticed things I hadn't before tonight also. Seeing her looking at me through the corner of my eye and turning away when I turn my head towards her. I've been overhearing my name being mentioned in general conversation in the light of myself and her. I've missed out a lot. But. I've made the decision that, at this rate, I'm going to instigate some dates and hanging out once I've got this Masters degree done in a fortnight's time. My fingers are, hopefully rightfully, crossed.

In!

What will happen if Deco doesn't pick me a team before the start of the season? Will I be entered with a random team? @Pyfish

A disgusting amount... I liked Bernard for us and wish him well. He had flashes of real promise, but for a benchwarmer... he never sat right with me. I hope Iwobi is the next one out. He's apparently earning more than that.

I'm in please!

We've signed him on a two-year deal. Free transfer. I've always quite liked him, he's a solid player. After so much mismanagement over our extortionate transfers in seasons past, this is hopefully a step forward. Already miles better than most of the shite we've pulled in.

You're spot on there mate. I hope she can snap out of her hap-hazard mood in the meantime but if not, I'll survive. Who knows what's on the horizon once I've finished this Masters.

It does annoy me a fair bit. I've been in situations like this one with girls before and vice-versa, and this is probably one of the more volatile experiences I've had so far. I started dating a girl before the first lockdown back in March last year. She was incredible in her drive, but turned out to be willing to throw people under the bus to get there. So I understand what you're saying completely. It's a shame people are so unpredictable, especially girls around my age. Funnily enough, I took an optional module on Emotional Intelligence whilst I was doing my undergrad degree. I'm familiar with the Johari Window model of E.Q., and keep a drawing of it on my desk next to my actual degree. Thinking of degrees, I think I'm going to focus my efforts on securing a distinction in my Masters. I can't let a girl off-set my goals when I'm less than a month away from finishing it. If she's still in limbo with me after I've finished and am stress-free myself, I'll probably leave it.

So - I've started to think that maybe stopping my pursuit of this girl could be for the best. On Friday it was good. The cues were there, and we were talking and stuff. But then, at the end of the shift when it was just the two of us she went quiet. As in really quiet. She told me she hadn't eaten and was tired, so I took that on board. She then became almost tight in what she was saying, and wasn't letting the conversation flow. And that was when it was just us. I'm assuming she was hangry and exhausted, and to be honest I was too. Saw her yesterday as well. I had my day off and she was working the whole day. And she had her guard up fully. Hadn't eaten again or slept properly, and I could tell. I went away for a bit and she was quiet. Today was completely the opposite. Both had work, had some laughs, got some food delivered in, played some pool together, and so on. A girl I work with has clocked my interest, and alluded to it, which made the girl I'm interested in a bit embarrased and she went away for a while before we carried on. All in all, and the heat and bother it's caused aside, I'd say it's been a relatively positive weekend on the girl front. Am asking her if she's free tomorrow to go out for some food. Fingers crossed.

I've taken everything you've all said on board. I'm working with this girl in just under an hour, and I'll be sure to pay close attention. Thanks everyone, it means a lot!

Didn't expect so many replies, so I'll go through and answer them as they came. I'd like to thank you all now, as your advice has helped me a lot. I'm 22, and I'd say it's not been too long. I'd say it's been lingering for about a month. We've been out to places before, and I'm always willing to do things. So goes to Uni and lives over there, but comes back to where we live often. So it's always a case of catching her alongside her other plans. She's invited me over to her Uni during Freshers (September) and to chill and do things so I view that as a positive. I've been trying the thing with the eyes funnily enough. I wear glasses normally, and I've noticed she looks at me a lot and with quite big eyes regardless of if I wear them or not. Observed them when she's completely disinterested in a conversation and they're quite small. She definetely has her guard up a lot. It's especially when there's people around who she doesn't feel too comfortable around. I know this because we used to really dislike each other. She thought I was shady and fake, and I thought she was a bitch. But as we got to know each other, we realised that we got on well and that we're quite similar as people. We're good friends above all, and at the end of the day that's what's important. I'm definetely willing to wait and work at it rather than dive in. Not ignornat at all! Around mid-April, she invited me out for the day to have some drinks and 'learn' to play bowls for a laugh. We work together, and at the place we work at they have two big greens, and she wanted to give it a go so I thought why not. Weather was great, we had a great time, and we then ended up going and having a couple more drinks in a pub. We don't live too far away from this place, but she wanted to go on a big detour into a big park. We sat down and started getting closer... I'll spare the details. When it started getting interesting, I looked at my phone and saw the mother (typical) had been trying to call me. So I called her back and walked away a bit, and got practically screamed back home by my mum. I told her and suddenly her mood swung and she wasn't interested. We started walking back towards our homes and she switches to a 'hot mood' again, we start holding hands and confiding in each other. We got to a place where we could part ways and all of a sudden she went cold again because she, and I quote, 'doesn't like being accompanied when walking to her house'. They'd just turned all of the street lights off where we were and I didn't actually know where she lived. For context, she lives on probably the longest road in Nuneaton and the furthest point is two miles away from where we were stood. So she starts arguing with me for a bit and agrees that I can walk her to the end of the road she lives on. When we get there she's still being a bit cold and we said goodbye. But then, out of nowhere, she says my name, and I turned towards her. She holds my hand and kisses me. And then goes off down the road. I'd like to think she hasn't changed her mind in three short weeks since we opened up. As much as I'd like it to go there, sex is one of the last things I want to prioritise. I like the girl, and I've had it in the past where I kept a girl 'hungry' through using it to my advantage. But I didn't really have that connection with her. This girl gives me butterflies. I can understand what you're saying, about then going cold on her. I don't go out of my way to bombard her with messages or drawn-out chatter, and feel like she respects it. As you say, when a girl knows they're being chased it can be really off-putting, so I'm being extremely cautious in how I tread. It's definetely solid advice to give up and move on. I've considered it, but I'm sceptical. We've known eachother for a couple of years, and I'd say we've been friends for a year. We've gotten increasingly closer since around Christmas time I'd say. I'm of the position where I don't want to overdo things, so I've stopped pushing. I'm going with our natural vibe and since I've stopped visibly trying we've gotten a lot more comfortable around each other again. She isn't the sort of girl who deals well with emotions. From my observations in person, she's septical and likes to play the cards close. She values her independence and feeling as though she can make her own decisions in what she does with her time, which I value of course. I spoke to her about this around February, and it's something she's very fierce in. I don't think she's not interested, but I think it's rather more to do with that perceived pressure as you say.

Right, it's my turn to ask for some advice... There's a girl I really like. She's very hot and cold however, as a person. I spoke to her about feelings when she was drunk and she opened up to me that she's growing on the idea of things progressing. Yet, she doesn't tend to show this, or at least not explicitly. As I say, she's a hot and cold girl. Wherever I've looked for advice on how to overcome this hot/cold barrier, I'm met with some shady advice, including to just give up and move on. I'm determined not to though, so I'm wondering if any of you have experience with hot and cold girls that you could draw upon?

Italy

Italy and Denmark.